by Renee Rose
He just shrugs and walks to the deck, staring out at the blackness. “In whatever way you choose.”
It wouldn’t matter if he were lying; I still have no other options, unless I plan to attack him once we’re on Dentron and escape alone with the ship.
I weigh the idea for a few seconds—it would surely be difficult to learn to captain this craft, but I think I could do it. Should I try once again to escape? I’d be my own master, in charge of my own destiny.
But for now, all I say is, “All right.” I look down out the ports, at the receding lights, and the advancing ones. “Deal. Let’s do this.” First, I need the pollen. I’ll figure out the rest later—once it’s in my possession.
He jogs to his console to respond to a beeping signal and a red flashing light. Once it’s resolved, he turns to me. “You need to sleep. Your body surely needs the rest.”
We both look at the silver magna cuffs lying on the floor. He picks them up and tosses them into a cabinet. “Trust, right?” He looks at me for a long second then smiles. “Now that we have a deal, we don’t need these.”
My stomach flutters with arousal: Thinking about what he did when those cuffs were on is enough to make my body fill with that tingly, amazing feeling. I want to tell him, “What if we want them?”
But exhaustion takes over, and I yawn so widely that my face hurts.
“Trust.” I yawn again. “Yes.”
He grins. I swear he’s thinking the same things I am—
“Maybe I will sleep.” I barely get the words out before every muscle goes leaden with exhaustion. I slump back onto the bench, still clutching the case to my stomach. “Wake me when…” and I’m out.
Khrys
She falls asleep mid-sentence as the collective events of the past hours hit her.
I carry her to a sleep bay and lie her on one of the bunks. I cover her with a blanket and adjust the medicine case, so it’s not digging into her ribs. She’s still holding it like it’s the only vecking thing in the world that matters—and I suppose it is. A strand of hair falls into her face, and I push it back with my index finger.
“So soft,” I whisper.
Her lashes brush her cheeks, and I resist the urge to kiss her lips while she slumbers.
Don’t get too attached, I remind myself.
Now that she’s asleep, I take the opportunity to slide a healing pack onto her arm. It will help balance her nutrition and give her healing medications, including a sleep aid that helps human bodies recover from trauma. Too bad it can’t fix her headaches.
Too bad it can’t fix my issues.
Reminded of my own concerns, I take a deep breath, check that Kailani is deeply asleep, and do the thing I dread. I put in a holo-call to my commander. I’d turned the comms off the moment I left Zandia to avoid communication, and I know I may face more serious consequences than a demotion for this.
“Master Seke, this is Captain Khrys.” I keep my voice even. “Checking in from Starship A-25X, currently in Galaxy Ambi.”
“Captain Khrys, you were not authorized for any mission.” He doesn’t waste words. He’s seated at his workstation in the royal palace. Behind him stands his assistant and sergeant at arms, my friend Gabin.
“Forgive me, Master Seke, but I’m on my way back to Zandia. I secured a human bounty that will serve our planet well. Someone whose DNA may provide the answers to the Z4-A epidemic.”
I glance toward the bunkroom. A feeling of guilt pierces me, but I push it away. This is necessary. For Zandia. And to restore my honor. “I rescued a human female, Kailani. The engineered one who is stronger than normal and can fight off any human virus. She is intact. I will bring her back to King Zander and Dr. Daneth, so they may use her to understand human improvement and help our young.”
“I have heard of no such human.”
“She’s very real. You can verify her stats. She made an escape before she went to auction, and I provided assistance.”
“I see.” Master Seke frowns.
“I’ve seen her strengths with my own eyes. She’s better than her dossier suggests.” I pause. “I have no doubts that everything reported about her is true.”
Gabin pulls up Kailani’s dossier and shares it with him. Master Seke’s eyebrows rise into his smooth purple forehead. “If that’s true, Dr. Daneth will be very interested in studying her. Is it true she has enhanced anti-viral properties?”
“I have no way of verifying such a thing, but yes, that is what her former masters claimed.”
I haven’t asked her yet if it’s true. My chest tightens, but I continue: “If she offers her unique attributes to benefit Zandia, I assume she will be granted a safe place to live?”
If I’d been able to buy her as I planned, this would be easier, but I didn’t. Now she’s an escaped slave, probably with an enormous bounty on her head. If she’s caught by any being in the galaxy, her life could be forfeit. Probably not, considering her worth, but her fate likely would not be a life worth living.
“Where is she now?” Master Seke looks behind me, into the holo, as if seeking her. “I would like to hear her speak.”
I stand and gesture toward the bunk room. “Sleeping with the aid of a med patch. She is relatively uninjured but has minor wounds and extreme exhaustion.” I go and open the door, so he may observe her. I stare, too.
She’s so lovely and small, huddled into herself in sleep. Her long black curls sprawl across the mattress. Her eyelids flutter—is she dreaming? She stirs and mumbles, readjusts her body, and falls back into deeper slumber.
I close the door and turn my attention back to my holo, where Seke is silent. “I’m sure she will be willing to speak to you once she is awake and healed.”
Zandians don’t lie, and those words—while I want to believe them—taste like ash in my mouth. Kailani may not present well to King Zander or Master Seke.
Even though I can’t keep her, I may need to ensure she properly bonds to me as her master before we arrive. I can’t risk her attacking another Zandian or acting wild. Nothing would be worse than if King Zander chose to return her to her owners instead of providing her with asylum.
Master Seke examines me over the holo.
I have no idea what he’s about to say. He may tell me that I’m going to prison for life as soon as I return. He might tell me I’m banished. I hold my breath.
“Stand by.” His voice is impersonal. “I will consult with the king.”
It’s only minutes, but it feels like hours before he blinks back into view. “I have reviewed the situation with King Zander. You are cleared to return with the human. As soon as you land, she will be taken into custody, as will you. At that time, King Zander will determine what comes next. Bringing her, of course, will help him tend to leniency.”
I bow my head. “That is my hope, Master.” Relief floods my body: So far, it’s not automatic bad news for me.
Seke checks his wrist holo. “Excuse me.” He moves away once again and leaves the room.
While Seke is conferring out of my earshot, Gabin looks left and right then steps into the holo. “You really got her?” His voice holds eager curiosity. “I remember you showing me the holo, and I thought you were out of your mind. Wasn’t she at a high-security auction? Going for untold amounts of stein?” He’s probably not supposed to speak to me, and I’m beyond glad to hear his voice. I still have one friend in this galaxy.
Pride swells in my chest. “Yes. I’d planned on offering Zandian crystal in exchange for her, but she made an escape attempt, and I went with it. Together we got out. That’s how good her skills are.” I think of how we worked together seamlessly.
“You took incredible risks.” He shakes his head. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
I nod. “It paid off. How angry is the king with my disappearance?”
“Incandescent, but surely trending to forgiveness if you actually return with this human. You know he’s a fair ruler. And some of the young are getting sicker.” His face grows
somber as he adds, “Especially the king’s own heirs.” He looks across the room. “I must go. Master Seke is coming.” Gabin steps back and goes into his formal post of attention.
Master Seke, usually reticent, smiles and his voice holds excitement. “Dr. Daneth is eager to see if we can use any of her blood enhancements to help the young on Zandia beat this tricky virus. He is already preparing the testing equipment he will need. This could be a miracle for Zandia, Captain Khrys. For our king and for us all.”
A spear of misgiving slashes through me. “He won’t hurt her.” It’s as much a threat as a question.
Seke seems surprised. “You know he will not. All humans are valued. She will be treated with care and dignity as he examines her and removes blood and tissue samples for investigation.”
I believe this to be true. I also am fairly sure that Kailani will not care for that distinction.
Master Seke looks at me evenly. “You are lucky that you are returning with such a prize. Please keep us updated on comms as to your progress. Once you hit atmosphere, we’ll direct you.”
“Understood. Thank you.” I look back at her. “There is one more thing I need to do first to ensure her survival.”
I explain to Master Seke about the medicine and her headaches. He approves the stop on Dentron and promises to send me all of Zandia’s information on that planet, scant though it is.
“There are locals,” he tells me, checking a holo doc. “Wild and clever although without tech. The weather is going to turn any time now with dangerous storms. Be careful. I’ve sent you maps enhanced with bio markers for plant matter—hopefully it will help you find the flower fields you need.”
Master Seke signs off with a reminder to ensure the human is protected against any bacterial threats on Dentron, leaving me alone with my troubled thoughts...and the sleeping human.
I sigh and set the coordinates for Dentron. It’s only two light years away; we’ll be there in under an hour, even accounting for the detours I’ll make around dangerous asteroid belts.
Kailani mutters and cries out, and I hurry to the bunkroom, leaving the ship on auto-pilot.
“Shhh,” I soothe, sitting on the cot beside her and stroking her cheek. “You’re safe.” I lie on the cot beside her to pull her into my arms. “No more headaches, little warrior. Never again. I promise.”
Whether she can hear me or not is a mystery, but the instant I hold her, she murmurs something unintelligible and relaxes into my grasp. Her breathing evens. And although it’s folly and will only lend me a false sense of intimacy, I continue to hold her while she slumbers.
“Everything will be all right,” I say, even though it’s not likely—for her or for myself.
I try not to think about how right she feels in my embrace because the second we get to Zandia and she finds out about my omission, she’s going to hate me forever.
I just don’t see any other solution.
Chapter 5
Kailani
I awaken with a start and a guttural cry, completely confused.
“Careful...easy, little warrior.” A deep voice sounds in my ear. “You’re safe. We’re nearing Dentron.”
“What?” I push at his arms, panic suffusing my nerves. Then, “Oh.” I’m lying on a cot with his much larger body wrapped around mine. His massive chest flexes under my palms. He smells faintly of rich spice and citrus and delicious male.
I breathe in his scent as it all comes back: The auction. The escape. How Khrys touched me and brought me untold pleasure. Heat pulses between my legs at the memory. Or perhaps it’s from the feel of his hard body against my softer one. I realize I’m running my hands over his pecs, freely exploring the chiseled lines of muscle, and I freeze.
“How long was I asleep?” I stretch, expecting to feel pain from our escape or even a twinge in my ass from his spanking, but everything is completely back to normal. My body feels as strong and limber as always.
For a moment, panic returns and my hands fly to check, but I find the case with my medicine is still there. I open it and take out the dropper, still half-expecting Khrys to suddenly take it away from me or deny me my full dosage.
He just watches in silence, then gets up from the bed and offers his hand, as if I’m some delicate creature who requires his assistance getting out of bed. I want to sneer over it, but the fact is, no being has ever shown me any consideration, and I can’t deny the warm tingles it produces everywhere.
I take his hand and climb out of bed, looking around at the small bunk room. Did we sleep together? All night? Even though I know nothing happened, the thought makes my heart beat faster.
“There’s a washtube in the washroom. Do you know how to use one?”
I shake my head.
“Come, I’ll show you.”
He takes me to the facility and presses a button. A pneumatic door of a cylindrical chamber slides open. He nudges me inside, and I jerk back and resist, suddenly afraid of whatever it is he’s trying to do to me.
“Easy, little warrior. It’s just for washing—it’s not a prison.” He steps back to let me retreat from it. “Here, I’ll go first.” He steps into the cylinder. “You’ll remove your clothing and step in. This button activates washing.” He points at a button on the inside wall. “The tube door will close, and the cylinder fills with water and soap, then empties, rinses you and blows warm air to dry your skin.”
My stomach is still drawn up tight in defense mode. It could be some kind of trick. I’ve never seen such a device before.
Khrys glances at me and must see I still don’t trust him. His horns lift and tilt apart from each other. He frowns and steps out. I quickly dart backward. His frown deepens. “Kailani, watch me,” he commands.
He pulls his white tunic off his head. I swallow, eye-to-chest with his massive bare trunk, powerful and muscled. A peachy-purple map of ridges and valleys. He holds my gaze steadily as he toes off his boots, then tucks his thumbs in the waistband of his leggings and peels them down and off. He has no underclothing beneath them, and his semi-hard cock springs out and bobs.
I try to swallow but fail. When I lift my gaze from his malehood, he’s still staring directly at me. His brown irises seem to have deepened to violet. His horns have thickened and lean my way. “It’s like this,” he says, stepping backward into the shower, without removing his steady gaze from mine.
My nipples tighten beneath the clothing he provided me. The curious warmth he incited yesterday after my punishment returns—heat coiling in my low belly, between my legs.
I don’t mean to, but somehow, I find myself stepping forward, as if magnetically drawn to his body when he moves away. He continues to hold me captive with his intense gaze. Out of my periphery, I see his cock grow stiffer, pointing at me while he presses the button on the shower wall.
The door slides shut, and he’s blocked from my view. I draw in several deep steadying breaths as the sound of water pouring into the small tube fills my ears. The washroom grows steamy.
There’s nothing to see anymore—the door is closed—and yet, I remain standing in the same place, staring at the washtube as if I might see through its walls and watch the giant warrior bathe.
Does he find it pleasurable? The water must be warm, considering how the room has steamed up. Something changes, and the water stops flowing. A gurgling sound indicates the water draining. A citrus-spice scent fills the room—must be the soap. I hear motors come to life—the air blowers he referred to. Then the pneumatic door slips open. Even though I just saw him naked a moment ago, the gorgeous spectacle hits me full-force again. Huge, muscular purple male invades every sense. His thickened horns and cock both point toward me like I’m their compass home.
I dart forward to pick up his leggings and hand them to him like a house-slave because I’m far too affected by the sight than I want to be.
“Ready to try?” he rumbles.
Try…? All I can think of is his cock. Am I ready to try sex? Ready to try him. Ready to r
ide that huge, thick member.
But then I realize... he must mean the washtube.
“Oh! Um, yes.” I bob my head. “Yes, I’ll try now. Thank you.” I sound breathless.
He steps into his leggings and picks up his tunic but doesn’t put it on. He also doesn’t leave.
“I, um, don’t need help,” I say in a rush. “I think I understand now.”
He inclines his head and walks out of the washroom, closing the door behind him. I feel the loss of him everywhere. I even step toward the door as if to follow—to call back to him and say, actually, could he show me the washtube again? Or maybe, step into it with me and wash me with those huge purple hands of his?
I shake my head to clear the thoughts and strip out of my clothing. In the washtube, I press the button as he indicated. Water rushes in from all sides—so must faster than I expected. I bite back a shriek of surprise. The water is warm, extremely pleasant, just vigorous. It massages my body in a dozen places with the hard streams. The washtube fills rapidly. In a moment it’s up to my waist. Then my shoulders. Will it stop?
I tip my head up toward the ceiling, suddenly terrified of drowning. I draw a deep breath before it covers my head! I open my eyes and the soap stings them. I squeeze them shut again. Just as my panic begins to surge, the water level drops away, draining as rapidly as it rose.
The citrusy smell fills my nostrils, making me think of Khrys, even though it will be me, now, who smells this way, too. Thinner streams of water spray my body, rinsing the soap from it, and then the warm air blows fast and hard, drying every drop.
The door automatically opens, and I find myself reluctant to step out. Sorry it’s over. Now that I know how it works, I want to do it again. I’ve had very few moments in my life where my body experienced pleasure. One of them was last night when Khrys brought me to orgasm.
This morning, waking in his arms.